Not a creature was stirring
by Vickysg1
Summary: Telling the story about the trumpet had taken all the energy Nate had left.


Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don't earn any money; I just do it for fun.  
Author's note: Written for Day Twelve of the 12 Days of Christmas on nathan_sophie. The title and a line in the story come from the story _The Night Before Christmas_. Many thanks to my beta, csiangel.

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As much as Sophie wanted to stay with their friends – their family – she could see that telling the story about the trumpet had taken all the energy Nate had left. Although, he was hiding it well, she could see in his eyes that he was exhausted. And she wasn't the only one who noticed it; Eliot was also looking worriedly at the mastermind.

The hitter caught her eye and nodded imperceptibly at her. She returned the nod, unseen by Parker and Hardison who were talking about coming up with a new beer flavour, but Nate had noticed the silent exchange. He raised an eyebrow at her in question. She didn't even try to look innocent; it had never worked on him. Instead, she got up from the stool.

"I think it's time for us to call it a night," she said, getting Parker and Hardison's attention.

"Already?" the young thief said. "But it's not even ten!"

"Parker..." Eliot started, but Nate interrupted him.

"No, Eliot, it's fine. She's right," he continued, turning towards Sophie. "It's still early. We can stay a little longer."

But before he was done talking, Sophie was already shaking her head no. Nate was giving her a look that told her he knew exactly what she was up to. But she wouldn't back down; he needed to rest and she would see that he did. And it didn't take him long to understand that he wouldn't change her mind. He walked around the bar to stand beside her, and they said their goodnights to the team.

Parker seemed a bit put out, and Sophie would make sure that she would make it up to her the next day. She wouldn't be surprised either if, the moment she and Nate left, Eliot would explain what was really going on to her and Hardison.

The walk back to Nate's apartment was spent in silence. His arm was around her waist and he tugged her closer to him in the cold night air.

When they entered his apartment, Sophie's eyes fell onto the lights of the Christmas tree. It was like Christmas exploded in the apartment, and it sort of did. One night, they went to bed in an undecorated apartment, and the next morning, they woke up to Parker hanging the latest decorations on the tree. This time, though, there were no pricey jewels that she had stolen all over the world – Parker had kept those for the tree in the brew pub back rooms – but proper Christmas decorations.

If they had been a bit annoyed at the time that their friends had let themselves into the apartment during the night, the happy look on Parker's face when she turned towards them had dissuaded them from saying anything. Parker loved Christmas and she just wanted to share it with the people who mattered the most to her.

"We could have stayed, you know," Nate said, helping her out of her coat.

"I know. But you're exhausted, darling." She placed her hands on his shoulders, massaging them gently, and leaned up to kiss him. "You're mentally and physically exhausted, and you don't have to hide it from us, _from me_."

Her words seemed to have finally done it. His shoulders relaxed under her touch, and he let go of the mask he wore. He had tried to keep it on for the team, she knew that, but it had cracked a bit as he was telling them his story. Sophie knew that Christmas was a hard time for him because Sam was even more present in his thoughts; he was thinking of Christmas pasts and those that had never come for his little boy. She couldn't make it go away, and even if she could, she wouldn't; his past was what made Nate the man he was now, and she didn't want to change that.

But she could appease his mind, if only for a few hours.

She pushed his jacket off of his shoulders, and let it fall to the floor. She toed off her shoes, making her a few inches shorter. Her hand then grabbed his, and she led him towards the bedroom.

He closed the door behind them, and she started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Sophie… No, don't… I…"

"Shh," she stopped him. "It's alright. Let me take care of you," she whispered.

She pressed a kiss to his neck, her lips finding his pulse point. Tonight wasn't about her, it wasn't even about them; tonight was only about him. Her fingers then went to his belt, and she unfastened it, and then made a quick work of his pants.

"Get into bed," she said.

He obeyed without saying a word, and she couldn't help the small smile that came to her lips. She made a show of taking off her clothes, knowing that he was watching and liking what he was seeing. She put on an old t-shirt of his that she had commandeered long ago, before slipping under the covers.

When she was settled, she opened her arms as an invitation, and he came. He rested his head on her shoulder, and one of his arms wrapped around her waist. Their legs tangled as she was cradling him in her arms.

"Comfy?" she asked, and she felt him nod and his arm tightened around her. "Good. That means we can start."

He raised his head at her words, probably wondering what she meant, but she pushed it back down against her, her fingers trailing in his hair. With her free hand, she picked up her phone from where she had put it on the bedside table, and searched for the file that she knew Parker had put there a couple of days ago. She opened it, and started reading the title.

"_The Night Before Christmas_."

"That's… That was Sam's favourite story."

"I know, darling."

"When did you…?"

"I didn't. Parker did. Apparently, she downloaded a different Christmas story for each of us on our phones. She wanted to get us into the Holiday spirit, I guess. I don't think she knows what this one means to you, though."

She felt him shake his head against her shoulder, his hair tickling the side of her neck as he did.

"Do you want me to go on, or do you prefer…? I mean, I'd understand if you don't want me to read it."

"No, please, I want to hear it. It's been a while since I last read it. Please, Soph."

She kissed his head, and smiled, her eyes welling up with tears. She wouldn't let her tears fall; now wasn't the time for that. He shifted a little in her arms, and once he was settled, she returned her eyes to the phone.

"'_Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse._"

Fin.


End file.
